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Escribar was a mercenary who attempted to kill Pope Ahaziah. He failed and was then visited by the Pope in prison who changed and related to him because of Ahaziah's treacherous past and is now the Pope's protector and close friend. During a visit to a city in Serpentis, there's another assassination attempt on the Pope's life by beastmen, which is mysteriously aided by high elf magic.

Royal Criminal: Chapter 4 – More than a Simple Penitent

Chapter 4 – More than a Simple Penitent

The civilians of the basement of this crumbling cathedral gather around me begging for blessings and advice, and I try to do my best to comfort them by telling them that everything is going to be okay and leading them in praying Hail Marys, a traditionally easy way to calm a person’s troubled heart and soul. It still feels strange to me that people are coming to me to comfort them, especially in this situation where I am the target and the reason why their city is destroyed. Decades ago, they probably would’ve killed me themselves though some time before that, I was a figure to look up to, a simple fisherman who was now leading people to turn against their own to bring peace to the land. Of course, my virtuous reasons for doing so were misplaced and I ended up doing more evil than good as evident by what is currently happening.

Escribar comes up to me and says, “Ahaziah, do you need anything to eat or drink? This shelter has food and drink that can last for months so don’t feel selfish about taking any.”

“I’m quite fine. Thank you, my friend. I’m sure the battle will be over soon, especially with how you’re dressed in that spiky armor,” I say.

The grey and dark armor that Escribar is dressed in is that of a capirote knight. His gauntlets have spike-like blades on their sides and his helmet mask has a snake coiled around a cross on its forehead and black spike-like tears coming from its eyes.

“The capirote knights gave it to me as a gift. I must say that I prefer having lighter armor, but this is good, especially since I can still wear my wrappings with scripture written on them underneath.”

“That’s good. Are the men ready to fight?”

“Yes, sir. We even have some of the civilians volunteering to fight.”

Again, I find myself in this situation at the command of many who wish to fight for me against my own countrymen, however, I am no traitor this time. I can see how God has moved events so that this may be the event of my redemption that wipes away my past failures. Looking over to Escribar, I see he is just as determined as I am to see this through even though I don’t see his eyes. His body language and my knowledge of his personality tell me everything I need to know.

“Our knights have brought the enemy to our location!” a watcher says.

“Just as planned,” I say as I pick up my greatsword and walk away from the civilians surrounding me.

“Ahaziah, sir, it is we who fight for you, not you for us. You can pray for our success to help, but let us do the fighting,” Escribar says.

“So be it, but if I see that you are struggling, then I’ll join in the fray.”

“Well, at that point there’d be no stopping you so I can’t argue with you on that.”

“Haha, there wouldn’t. You should know by now that there’s no arguing with me.”

“I know, but I still try so I can talk some sense into you to save your life. You are the Pope and my friend.”

“I am always glad to hear you say that which is why I must fight when given the chance. What greater love is there than for a man to lay down his life for the sake of his friends? We are two kindred souls, two betrayers given a second chance we didn’t deserve to redeem ourselves and show our loyalty to God. This is the day that the debts of the past are erased and we begin the future anew.”

Turning to the crowds surrounding us, I give them words of encouragement as well.

“To you who are also my friends, today is a glorious day whether you believe it or not. In fact, a challenging day such as this is sometimes more rewarding than a peaceful one because of the opportunity for growth that it offers. I beg you to thank God for it because, in victory or defeat, God will be glorified!”

I then begin reciting the Serpentis prayer before battle.

“Through our suffering.”

“We pay the price of sin and unite our pain with the Lord,” the people respond.

“Through our defeats.”

“We obtain what is rightfully due.”

“Through our victories.”

“The unending mercy of God is made evident.”

“We unworthy servants of God.”

“Shall give our lives to He who gave us His. Every drop of blood, tear, ache, and pain shall be our witness to the love we have for our Lord, Jesus Christ, and each other.”

“Amen!” I say with everyone.

Together with my soldiers and guards, we ascend through the rubble of the cathedral and meet our enemy outside. Around us are the wood elves and their beasts, the beastmen who the wood elves used their power over beasts to control, dark elf traitors, and traitors from other races. There’s nothing else to say to them so I simply raise my free hand to command my soldiers and guards to fight and they do with Escribar leading from the front. What proceeds is slaughter on both sides as they tear each other apart. I can’t help but recoil and pray as I watch people suffer and die for me.

The tenacity of the people of Serpentis is on full display as some fight on despite losing a leg, arm, or even both arms and continue fighting with their teeth and remaining limbs only to be killed soon after. At best, the enemy beats and cuts at them until they are barely able to stand or attempt to cut off their heads and do, but not without suffering an injury from their target or another capirote knight. Glory be to God, the fight seems to end soon after with a majority of the capirote knights injured, Escribar still standing, and the wood elves and their allies are few in number. Before Escribar and his countrymen can finish them off, the wood elves use one of their animalistic screams, and three red dragons, the size of an elephant with the necks of a giraffe appear from the ruins of the city. These dragons breathe their breaths of fire, ice, and acid at Escribar who pushes his countrymen out of danger and endures the brunt of their attack.

I can feel a cut in my heart at this sight as I lean forward and reach out as if I’m somehow trying to pull my friend out of danger with an invisible hand. The assault of the dragons thankfully ends revealing that Escribar is still standing despite his armor being mostly stripped from him and burns on his skin. He attempts to walk forward to attack but falls over instead. Running over to him, I find that the crimes tattooed into his skin are gone, and the wrappings of scripture that he wears remain untouched.

“Escribar, your crimes are erased from your body,” I relay to him.

“Then I am redeemed and my sacrifice was found acceptable to God,” he says before gripping my hand. “Thank you for bringing me to this opportunity, my friend.”

Escribar lets go of my hand seemingly dying in my arms. I can’t make sure if he’s still alive with my enemy in front of me.

“Now that you’ve felt as much pain as possible, it’s time to finally end this,” one of the wood elves says.

“You’re right. It is,” I say as I release a dark fog from my hands and mouth and become one with it just as the dragons attack me with their claws.

Their attacks pass right through me because my body becomes one with the dark fog and moves along with it as the dragons claw at it and breathe their dangerous breaths at it. Coming out of the dark fog with my sword raised, I cut off the head of one of the dragons and then use an acid spell to melt another one of them before retreating back into the fog to finish the last with a surprise attack from behind where I stab it through the heart, killing it instantly. The wood elves then use their power over the wind to blow away my dark fog and charge at me.

“Enough of these games! Justice will be served!” a wood elf says.

“It is and I will be as God commands,” I say.

I then use my acid spells from my hands to kill both the beasts and their wood elf riders. The three remaining wood elves use their wind magic to push me back and blow my own acid back at me which has no effect on my skin but also melts parts of my armor. Using my own real method of attack, I meet their charge with my own as I wildly attack the remaining wood elves with reckless abandon, caring little how many times I get hit or cut as long as I can land blows on them. One wood elf I kill by cutting off both of her legs at the same time before cutting her head off. The second wood elf that I kill is cut in half with one clean horizontal swing and then finished off with a stab through the head, and finally, kill the last by cutting off his arms and then plunging my sword through his chest.

Even after the battle is finished, I hastily look around the area for another foe to fight as my adrenaline is keeping me on edge. Now seeing that no foe remains, I take a breath and sit down on the ground now that the injuries that I’ve suffered during the battle are catching up to me. While looking around, I see a familiar face walking toward the capirote knights who are getting back up. It’s the oldest man, Evander. What’s he doing here and why is he helping everyone? I limp my way towards him as he heals Escribar with his high elf magic. As the light from his hands touches Escribar’s wounds, they disappear and are cleaned at the same time.

“Will he make it?” I ask.

“Don’t worry about your friend. He’ll survive. You should know the tenacity of the people of Serpentis by now and the power of my healing magic,” Evander says.

Despite being the oldest human being alive, Evander’s skin is as golden as a high elf who is in his thirties relative to a normal human and his voice is like that of a man in the same age range with a hint of youth in it. He smiles as he does his magic and looks up to me and continues to smile as if saying something through this action. Soon after, Escribar wakes up and struggles to get up.

He looks at both of us before saying, “Is the battle over?”

“Yes, we won and Evander here healed your wounds,” I say.

“Thank you, sir,” Escribar says.

“You’re welcome. Now, don’t go straining yourself even though you can stand. Take a long rest with your countrymen. You’ve all more than earned it.”

Escribar looks at me and I nod to him to follow Evander’s advice.

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

While Escribar walks away, Evander stops me from joining him and starts to heal my wounds.

“You need healing too, Your Holiness. I see that you’ve seen your fair share of action too,” he says.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

Evander simply gives me a friendly smile at first. “Nothing in particular. I came to see you and a friend who should be arriving at this city’s port today. If you’re thinking that I had anything to do with what these wood elves did, then you can rest assured that I didn’t. I’m not even sure why people from a race that is typically content with keeping to itself would do all of this. You should focus on giving one of those encouraging speeches that you’re famous for. The people do love hearing from you after all.”

He doesn’t seem to be lying to me, but still, I feel that something is off about his being here. After my wounds are healed, he walks off to the port where, sure enough, a damaged boat is coming in. It flies a torn-up flag of the United Kingdoms of the Americas, a red, white, and blue flag with three stars surrounding the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the center representing the kingdoms. From this distance, I see men in cracked armor, a dark elf boy, and a woman with black and red hair on the boat. I’ll have to keep an eye on these people and question them when I get a chance. They may just be informants that let Evander know about the Far West or something more.

For now, I’ll care for the wounded and those who have suffered today. Even though Escribar and I have atoned for our pasts, there is much work to be done. This long and arduous day has not so much taught me anything new, but it has reminded me that I am witness to a miracle every day that God allows me to wake up again and live anew despite my past failures, the sins I may commit during the day, and the future ones that may be yet to come as a result of my weak human nature. Such bondless mercy is why I was able to be redeemed, enjoy the few precious qualities of life, and help others do the same. I pray that God continues to bless me, all my friends, and even my enemies because if a traitor such as I can become a better person through His mercy, then anyone can.

 

The End

Royal Criminal: Chapter 3 – Struggling Just to Survive

Chapter 3 – Struggling Just to Survive

With Ahaziah behind me, I stand ready to face the stampede of beasts and the elves on top of them. At first, we aren’t sure what to make of them and stand to the side until we clearly see that they mean to run us down as they send their elephants to crush both beastmen, guards, and civilians, their lions, tigers, and jaguars to finish those that remain, and their human-sized hawks carry away and drop the archers and watchers. Ducking into the alleys, we run for shelter and take down whatever animals come after us.

“Running again while the faithful are slaughtered,” Ahaziah says to himself.

“Well get back at them sooner rather than later,” I say.

“I hope you’re right because I can’t stand the sight and routine of this day anymore, Escribar.”

“Neither can I, but we have to prioritize your safety.”

We head into a nearby church that we made to be a regroup location for the guards and knights we rescued and get them to fend off the incoming beasts as we get Ahaziah to safety. Inside, they close the shutters of the windows so whatever tries to get in will have to try to break the nearly impenetrable plates of the shutters made for sieges and were also a gift from Equus. I join the guards and soldiers outside, cutting at the beasts that I remember hunting in my beginning years as a mercenary. Fighting them feels like reawakening an old instinct and memories. Of wanting to live more than the simple poor life of a gardener and be a man of wealth and importance.

First, I tried to start off legitimately. Since Serpentis is known for its hired help, I tried to get into contact with the St. Dismas group, a thieves guild that is hired by the Church to take from the guilty and give back to those who stole from them. Because my methods were forceful and they don’t exactly allow killing in the guild, I tried to be an independent merc, which was more profitable and liberating, but ended me in the place I am in today. I don’t hold it against God for taking advantage of my blindness and pride to get me here, but the memories of them make me feel like it would’ve been better if I had never gone through them and just stayed legit as a good thief in the St. Dismas group. Shaking the memories off, I refocus my entire mind on the fight especially since we’re losing men.

Suddenly, the animals stop fighting us even as the guards keep killing them. Once they see that the fighting has stopped, they stop as well and we all ready ourselves for the next surprise. The elves on beasts approach us and reveal their faces to us, many of which are wood elves with only a few dark elves among them. I’m sure this surprises and disappoints Ahaziah to some extent who probably thought the high elves had something to do with this. Taking a quick look back, I see Ahaziah peaking out from the church’s doors with his greatsword drawn.

“It’s surprising to me that you’re letting all these men die for you, Ahaziah. I thought you changed from your old ways, but I guess we were mistaken,” one of the wood elves says.

Storming out of the church, Ahaziah yells, “How dare you! You murder the innocent and those who give their lives for God and His Church and think you have the right to look down on me?! I declare you anathema!”

“We have employed the same methods you did when you turned against your own in the Holy Land! We are justified, even more so because we are bringing to you justice that is long overdue!”

The wood elves hold out their arms and cause a severe windstorm that stops us from advancing toward them while also turning this city into a forest by making large trees sprout from the ground in an instant. Most of the city seems to be destroyed and has been replaced with a luscious forest similar to the ones found in the Holy Lands of Matias.

“We have tortured you as you have tortured our countrymen. Your friends and servants have been slain while you were powerless to save them and now you will die a slow death, the same kind of death that you gave to those you wished to make an example of during your betrayal of the people of the Holy Land,” a wood elf says as their voice echoes throughout the new forest.

The destruction wrought by the wood elves has killed several of our allies, the civilians we saved, and the beastmen we interrogated. I order the remaining to fall back into the forest so we can regroup and plan our next move.

“Ahaziah! We need to go!” I say to the Pope who looks up at the trees with a rage in his eyes that I’ve never seen.

“Face me now, cowards! Butchers! Betrayers! If I am your true enemy, then kill me and spare the rest who have guarded me up until this moment,” Ahaziah says.

“If they wanted you instantly dead, they would’ve already. They’re dragging this out to torture you. I’m sure you want justice for the people who have died so far so dying wouldn’t accomplish that,” I say.

“You’re…you’re right, my friend. Let us retreat for now…yet again.”

Going through the forest, we manage to find our way into some ruins that are a combination of a house and the church we once were in. We only have about ten capirote knights left and three Equus guards. I take a look around us to see the beasts and elves taking up positions as they surround us.

“There has to be a way out of this. Can you give us any suggestions? I’m open to any idea at this point,” I say.

“There’s nothing to do but fight. We could go to a special armory in this city’s main cathedral where could get better weapons and armor meant for sieges on the city,” a capirote knight says.

“That’s fine and all but do you have a plan to get us out of this pincer attack?”

“The same plan as always. We throw ourselves at the enemy, and if we succeed and live to tell about it, then glory be to God. If we fail and die trying, then glory be to God and let our sacrifice be an offering of penance for ourselves and our enemies.”

“I’m not sure if-”

“Men! Are you ready to suffer and die for God?!”

“Yes!” the capirote knights say.

“Are you ready to bleed for truth and love itself?”

 “Yes!”

“Are you ready to get your life for His Holy Church and unworthy sinners?”

“Yes!”

There’s no convincing these people. Their suicidal tendencies to throw themselves into battle like this are why I never considered being one of them. Still, I can’t say their ways are not without honor, bravery, or virtue. Also, there’s some sense in their methods as they plan a way to our destination and compose our forces in a way so that each person has a specific role rather than just plainly throwing ourselves at the enemy. Archers will support the knights from the back while the few Equus guards and fastest capirote guards will lead from the front.

As soon as the plan is formulated and agreed upon, Ahaziah gives his blessing to the knights so that they may succeed before they put their simple plan into action. The first two waves of knights charge ahead of the enemy getting their attention while the archers take potshots at them from the new abundant amounts of cover. Using this cover is a smaller group that sneaks behind the enemy to slit their throats while their off guard and takes care of their archers. Meanwhile, Ahaziah and I slip away during the chaos as a few of the capirote knights lead us to their siege armory. An ambush comes at us from the dense trees above us as wood elves and their beasts descend upon us taking out our guards and leaving us outnumbered.

Their numbers advantage quickly disappears as other capirote knights that weren’t part of our original group come out of nowhere as well to aid us and our defeated guards don’t stay down for long as well as they join the fight. Once it’s over, I look at our injured knights who stand upright despite the gashes and cuts in their bodies, legs, arms, and heads. It’s as if they simply fell down the stairs or off a sprinting horse rather than being cut up by blades and claws. The tenacity of the people of Serpentis makes some people outside of the country think there’s something magical about its people similar to that of Canis, Polypus, Noctua, or Corvus since we’re able to fight on and make a full recovery despite the mortal injuries we may receive, however, since we aren’t able to use any magical spells, this tenacity could be chalked up to just that.

“I’m surprised there were more knights that survived,” I say.

“Oh, come now. You should know that the men of Serpentis are hard to keep down. We knew you were in trouble, regrouped, and have launched a counterattack against our enemies. Take a look,” a capirote knight says.

Moving past the rubble of buildings and trees, I see an all-out attack against the wood elves, their beasts, rogues, and beastmen by the capirote knights in the ruins of the marketplace of the city. I watch as the knights are beaten down and cut down over and over again and watch as they continue to get up. They only die after losing their heads or multiple limbs.

“It’s a wonderful show of devotion and love for God, isn’t it?” a capirote knight says.

“Yes, but we should really get to the siege armory so that we can minimize casualties,” I say.

“Yes, of course. We’ve already unlocked its supplies and are putting it to good use. We’ll take you to it so that you can be properly armed.”

Royal Criminal: Chapter 2 – Never Sure

Chapter 2 – Never Sure

“Ahaziah! Dinner is ready!” my mother says.

I hastily drop my fishing rod, head into the house, and quickly take my seat at the table only to find very few fish, some salad, and fruit for dinner. The fish is seasoned in a special way that only my mother can and the salad and fruit look good, but it’s still disappointing to look at. After saying grace, we eat and I can’t help but think about the circumstances behind this meal.

“Is something wrong?” my father asks me.

“No, no. I’m fine,” I say. “It’s just that I thought we’d have a bigger meal today because we’ve been selling so much.”

“We’ve been donating as much to the Church, Holy Land, and needy in equal measure. We have a sufficient amount to eat so don’t worry about that and eat as much as you want.”

I smile and try to keep my feelings from showing since I know that my parents will argue with me. The poverty of our meals is something that I don’t mind too much. It’s the reason behind it. Donating food to the Church and needy is one thing but giving it to the governing body of the Holy Land is another. This land that was given by God to His chosen people that inhabit it to this day is ruled by one man, Evander, who is the oldest living man to have ever lived since he was forever changed due to the events of the war that ended the future. Because he’s wise and old enough to remember the days when ships sailed the sky and stars and when the sprawling cities weren’t in ruins and lit up like the night sky, he was given authority over the Holy Land and everyone in it. It’s because of him and our hoarding of the last of the technology of the past that people are waging war against us and everyone in it has to give as much as we can to our allies and nation.

Why can’t he just share it? Sure, the other nations misused the technology and were transformed as a result, but I’m sure the craftsmen of Equus or the knowledge scholars of Polypus could better use and research it. I wouldn’t even mind him handing it over to the orcs of Bernhard and the fiery men of Canis just so they can stop their relentless assault against us. This world has been at war for too long because of the relics of the past and it’s about time it was stopped and we moved on from it. Someone must convince him and our leaders to change their minds either with reason or force.

My remanence of the past stops when I hear the doors of the Church my guards and I open. I stop looking out the small, armored window of the saferoom to see Escribar is back from his reconnaissance.

“I’m glad to see you’ve made it back in one peace, my friend. What have you discovered?” I ask.

“The city is infested by beastmen. Every way out is guarded by them, even the ports,” Escribar says.

“But what have you discovered about the source of the magic? This can’t simply be the work of tainted, pagan beastmen magic. It’s incredibly reminiscent of high elf magic.”

“I’ve seen their ritual circles in the back alleys and certain buildings. In them, I’ve seen robed figures but I couldn’t tell who they were.”

The high elves are known not only for their virtue but also for their cunning and trickery. They’ve not so recently let their victim status from the past, blessings from God, and political and military power get to their heads, and above them all is the oldest living man, Evander. Even though done my penance, changed, and been given the honor of becoming Pope, I haven’t had much contact with him nor has he let me know his greater plans for the Church and the world. I know he’s planning something and have known it before the people of the Holy Land became elves. It’s as if he and his most trusted allies are above the Church’s leadership.

My instincts tell me they have something to do with them not only because of the high elf magic that’s been used but also because of me being the target of the attack. The high elves have never liked the people who lived in the region of Abaddon where the dark elves like I live even before we turned against them, so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that they’re involved somehow. If they are, there will be Hell to pay for the shedding of innocent blood. They’ll regret not killing me first, however, now that I think about it, that could’ve been part of the plan seeing as how I wasn’t wearing my papal helmet and they could’ve simply shot me in the face and sent a majority of the beastmen after me rather than focusing on the guards and the civilians.

“Your Holiness, Ahaziah,” Escribar says.

“Excuse me. I was just considering the possible reasons behind the attack,” I admit.

“I know you well enough to say that you’re thinking that the high elves have something to do with it. Also, I know that we should reserve judgment and focus on what’s in front of us first.”

“You’re right, my friend. We shall first disrupt where the beastmen and their allies are conducting their rituals so they cannot use their profaned magic against us.”

My bias of wanting to figure out who’s behind this is coming out. Still, Escribar and the guards agree seeing how it was effectively used against us to severely cripple our forces. The knights of Serpentis step forward and bow down on one knee before me. They wear light armor and pointed hats and attire inspired by the confraternity of capirote penitents and are armed with short swords, crossbows, bows, rapiers, and flails with incense in them.

“We offer our lives to God and to you, Your Holiness,” their leader says. “Send us in first.”

The remaining guards from Equus come forward and kneel before me as well. In contrast to the capirote knights, these guards are heavily armored and carry heavy shields, lances, spears, large hammers, and greatswords like mine.

“Your Holiness, let us join our brothers in battle,” their leader says. “They’ll need someone to defend them as they recklessly head into battle. We’ll be the shield to their swords.”

“We’ll gladly accept their help as long as we get to try their armor afterward.”

“We’ll accept that as well as long as you teach us how you can be so resilient without armor.”

“Only if you get more kills than we do.”

“Deal.”

“Haha, you’ve made up your minds already and decided what to do by yourselves. You have my blessing. I will let you have the honor of putting down our enemies but try not to let your brotherly competition blind you during battle.”

“Yes, sir, Your Holiness,” they both say.

Escribar then takes the lead to show us the places where the rituals are taking place. Both the capirote knights and armored guards of Equus throw themselves into battle and efficiently take down their foes with Equus leading the charge and taking the brunt of the enemy’s attack while the capirote knights overwhelm them with their relentless assault. During our counterattack, we are able to save civilians and other guards in the city and uncover the identities of the men in robed figures. Among them are rogue mages from Polypus, Canis, and even a couple of dark elves. Hmm. I wonder what brought these people together.

To find out the reason behind the attack, we take a couple of the rogue men and beastmen alive for questioning during our next assault at the final ritual location since we now have cleared out most of their forces and can interrogate them without the threat of intrusion in a safe area we’ve managed to carve out in the city. It was hard to get these few to begin with since most others, especially the beastmen, killed themselves so they wouldn’t be taken in alive. Curiously enough, the beastmen we managed to restrain and question seem to be confused after they calmed down and say they weren’t completely aware of what they were doing and claim to have been under the influence of controlling voices.

“I don’t believe you for a second. He’s just saying that to save his life,” one of the capirote knights says.

“Please, you have to believe me! I don’t even know where I am,” a man who is half-cat says.

The people of Serpentis have faced the brunt of the rogue beastmen’s attacks since theirs is the kingdom closest to the Atlantic Ocean and the far western kingdom of the United Kingdoms of the Americas where the beastmen are said to originate from. As a result, they view them in a more negative light, are quick to attack any who reach their shores and don’t follow everything they say. I can relate a bit since I feel the same way about high elves.

“I believe them,” I say.

“Really? I find it hard to believe such good natured beasts could be so easily manipulated,” a capirote knight says.

Questioning the other non-beastmen next, they don’t reveal much either than they were hired by a group that didn’t reveal their identities and paid upfront for their efforts. Seeing as the beastmen we have are the most reliable, I allow them to be free of their restraints while throwing the mercenaries into a locked room chained up and guarded by a squad of knights. The capirote knights feel uneasy about my decision but accept it anyway and put their faith in me.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Your Holiness,” a beastman who is part hawk says. “We’ve heard about there being a Pope in the European continent but didn’t know it was a dark elf, especially after what was said about your kind.”

“Yes, well, I’ve earned the title of Pope thanks to God’s graces and am blessed to be His earthly head of His Church. Now, tell me more about these voices,” I say.

“They were like the sounds of temptation, but I don’t think it was demons who put a spell on us, though I’m also not sure if the person who spoke was a servant of them or not. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much.” The beastman then stops as if hit by a sudden feeling. “Wait, no, I can remember the feeling and sound of the voice as if it were a distant memory.”

The other beastmen start to agree until one says, “Hold on! This could be the voice trying to get to us again! Restrain and get away from us for your own safety!”

One of the guards I’ve had on watch runs to me and says, “We have a stampede of beasts heading towards us!”

“More beastmen?” a capirote asks.

“No, actual beasts who are being ridden by elves!”

Royal Criminal: Chapter 1 – Two Redeemed Traitors

Chapter 1 – Two Redeemed Traitors

It was a job arranged by Divine Providence. The job to kill the Pope. The person who gave me the job was mysterious, but he paid well upfront and I didn’t care for his reason for giving me the job, why he chose me, nor his identity so I took it. I snuck my way past security by blending into the crowd, had my shot, and took it by stabbing him in the gut, but it wasn’t enough even though I thought it was. After being taken down by the guards, and locked up in a cell for life, my crimes past and present were painfully tattooed onto my face and neck, and a band of thorny branches was placed on my head. It was after this that I was told that the Pope had survived my assassination attempt, which meant that the promised help I would get to get out of prison wouldn’t come, so I sulked in anger for a while without being able to exit the room and only being given the barest of slop to eat.

Time and my life were meaningless at that time and I didn’t know how much time passed until the Pope, the man I tried to kill entered into my cell. I was so surprised at this that I didn’t even think to try to kill him despite him being alone in the room. He didn’t ask why I tried to kill him nor did he ask for an apology. All we did was talk and relate to one another. Even if you asked me at the time what we talked about, I wouldn’t be able to tell you other than he talked with the voice of God. Something in me radically changed afterward and by the end of the day, I wanted him to stay so we could talk more.

He simply smiled at me and said, “I enjoyed our time together, Escribar. I’ll come back later to see you again, my friend.”

Friend? Me? I tried to kill him not too long ago and now we were friends? What a strange man. Many would’ve and still say so because Pope Ahaziah is a dark elf and one of the original traitors who were the cause of the destruction of the last of the technology of the past and the changing of the lands and people of the Holy Land into what they are now. I guess we were able to relate because we’re both criminals who have done horrible things. Elves like him live longer than normal humans and had to have done decades of penances and good works to become pope so there has to be something special about him.

Over the months, I do my penance and am visited by the Pope until am let out of prison early and then given the position to be his personal guard. This surprised me, and yet, I took the offer right away. Soon after, I trained and then spent every day by his side alongside the Owl Knights to protect his life. Somehow, by the will of God, my life and personality had completely changed because of the Pope’s kindness. I’ve gone from being a nameless mercenary to a royal guard in what seems to be a flash in retrospect. All of this is what I meditate on and recall whenever I fall into sin and hear the vile opinions whispered by our so-called allies who look down on the Pope and me because of our past.

In the current day, we are in my home kingdom of Serpentis to visit its people, offer encouraging words, see the relics of St. James, and celebrate Easter with the capirotes. We enter the streets of the historical city with the Owl Knights closest to us, the heavily armored shield bearers of Equus in the center, and the knights of Serpentis at the very front. Flowers and flower petals descend upon us and are thrown at the feet of the guards while the crowd cheers for us and the choirs sing their praises to God. Meanwhile, Pope Ahaziah waves to the crowd without his mask on so that everyone can see his dark elf, dark blue skin, long pointy black beard, and smiling face.

“Are you sure it’s a wise idea to be without your helmet?” I ask.

“Relax, my friend. If I could survive your attempt on my life, then I’ll survive the attempt of any other assassin that comes our way. If not, then you’ll know it’s my time to go,” Ahaziah says without breaking his smile.

“Still, it’d be best to learn from the lessons of the past,” I say while looking at the hole in the center of the Pope’s helmet that’s lying beside him.

“Then it’s a good thing I have all these men around me who are looking out for my safety. Ah!” The Pope catches a bouquet of flowers through at him and then thanks the person who threw it.

“How do you know there’s nothing dangerous inside them? These people shouldn’t be throwing such things at you.”

“Are you afraid of flowers? Here, inspect them if it’ll make you feel better.”

I do so and find nothing wrong with them.

“They’re fine.”

“See? There’s nothing to worry about. Oh, and aren’t these also the kinds of flowers your parents grew in their garden?”

“They are. I’m surprised you remember me telling you that.”

“I’ll never forget the important details of our talks together. Do you remember what I said of my family?”

“They were fishermen and influential people in their community.”

“Yes. How such simple people as we turned out to be in the places we are in now is a wonder of Divine Providence, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Then back to the original point. There’s no need to worry about my safety for if God wants us to be in certain places, He’ll make sure we get there no matter how unlikely it might be.”

“There’s no changing your mind, Ahaziah.”

“No, no there isn’t, my friend.”

There’s the reason why so many people follow Ahaziah. His wit, unmovable mind, and that endearing smile. He uses it when we get to the cathedral and seems to have something of value to say to everyone who approaches him. The Easter celebration goes well until it is stopped and moved to the afternoon mass that is celebrated by Ahaziah. Even at the altar, I stay by his side as a priest and watch out for trouble in the vast crowd. I have to keep my mind off the fact that I’m a priest so I don’t get distracted. It was Ahaziah’s suggestion that I become one and I really only did it so I could be with him at the altar to better protect him, but the process of becoming a priest felt right to me, and celebrating the mass is something that feels natural for some reason. The mass continues on until Ahaziah gives his homily and all sit as he stands by himself at the pulpit.

He smiles and then says, “Friends, Happy Easter to you all!”

The crowd responds by wishing him a happy Easter in return.

“Aha! I’m glad you responded without prompting. Speaking of which, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross without any prompting at all. Think about that, and if you already know it, it’s good to remind yourself. He could’ve let us go on without any way of reaching Heaven or redeeming our souls. It would’ve been easier for Him and He had every right to do so since it was we who betrayed Him, and yet, He chose to suffer and die so that we could be redeemed and be happy with Him. He doesn’t gain anything from our redemption. If He wanted to, He could’ve just created more perfect angels to praise, worship, and do His will without error instead of redeeming traitorous scum like us.”

There’s a venom to those words he said and I know he’s speaking of himself. The weight of his past actions still weighs on him and he shows it by his description of what we are and his long pause.

“But rejoice, my friends! Mercy comes before justice for the Lord our God. He has redeemed us and risen from the grave clearing a way for us to get from the Hell that we’ve created to the Heaven that we’ve earned without merit but by the saving love of our Lord. Praise the Lord, my friends! There’s nothing more to be said on this fine day and every day afterward. Praise the Lord with all your mind, body, and soul!”

The crowd cheers praising the Lord which has broadened the smile on Ahaziah’s face. That smile is quickly wiped away when an arrow made of light flies from the sky and into his chest. As I rush to react and take Ahaziah away, a horde of beastmen descends upon the crowds of people and the guards. The Owl Knights are quickly taken out and the guards from Equus and Serpentis struggle as the beastmen separate them so as to fight both groups on their own. Ahaziah takes the arrow stuck in his armor out and throws it aside.

He then unsheathes his greatsword which has two coiled snakes around it and is his papal staff while saying, “How dare you slaughter my flock while I still stand! I’ll not let this affront to God continue any longer!”

Ahaziah then runs into combat swinging around his greatsword as if it were a weightless knife and using his dark elf magic to spew acid from his mouth to melt the beastmen’s armor and flesh to nothing. I too join the fray with my two swords drawn and carving through the crowd so I can get to him.

Once I do, I say, “Your Holiness! We must get you to safety!”

“No! Not while my people are still in danger!” Ahaziah says.

“We can’t avenge them surrounded like this! We must retreat and regroup! Guards! To me! Defend the Pope!”

“Defend the people!”

We hardly have any more time to argue as a barrage of boulder-sized fireballs descend from the sky and rain down around us. By the time the barrage ends and the dust settles, we see that we managed to make it out alive, but many of the civilians, guards, and soldiers are dead. Most of the beastmen lay dead as well though there are more coming in the distance.

“We have to leave, now!”

Seeing as how there’s no one left to defend, Ahaziah solemnly nods and uses his magic to spew a dark fog from his hands to cover our retreat. Ahaziah is livid by what is happening and what he’s forced to do. His once joyful expression has soured and nothing but a scowl remains and his hands and head seem to be shaking as if containing the holy wrath of God itself. Don’t worry, my friend. We’ll get justice soon once you’re safe and we can plan out our next move.

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Aegeus is just another gate guard from Equus who defends his city and everyone in it. His life is fairly mundane with a fiancee he will marry soon and a future in his profession, but recent events and attacks will have him putting his life on the line to the fullest extent to defend everything and everyone he loves.

His Name is Aegeus: Chapter 4 – A Human Wall

Chapter 4 – A Human Wall

While eating out with Felicite at a nice restaurant, she waves her hand in front of my face.

“Huh? What is it?” I ask.

“You’re supposed to be paying attention to only me on our day together. Is something wrong?” Felicite asks.

“Nothing really. I’m sorry.”

“Do you miss Claude? It’s been a while since we last saw him. Is everything okay with him?”

“Yeah. He moved with his family to a military base where he’s finalizing his tests to become an Assault Knight.”

“He moved? I thought he was doing his tests here in the city. How come you didn’t tell me before?”

“I was busy with tests of my own to become a city guard. I’m still nervous that I start next week and even more nervous that we’re getting married next week.”

“Don’t be. You have the rest of this week off so let’s enjoy it together.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

The day that I spend with Felicite is slow but sweet. We visit places in the city that we’ve been planning to such as museums, parks, and restaurants. I get a special discount for every place that costs money to get into and special reserved seats at places like restaurants because of my new job. After going to a concert at a theatre, we head back home and hope that tomorrow is even better and it seems to be that way. We first go to a marketplace that is holding an annual celebration of everything Equus from our special foods and music to plays and weapons. Many different people from other kingdoms are visiting for this reason, which makes the city more crowded than usual. I’d hate to be on guard duty today because of the amount of people I have to check on and allow or, God forbid, deny access to the city.

The entire day sours as soon as I hear the sound of a deep horn and the sound of drums indicative of an incoming orc attack. In addition, I hear the sounds of church organs that signal to all guards and soldiers off duty to get their weapons and armor and join the fight. As the warning sounds are going off, the guards and soldiers follow protocol with some escorting the civilians to safety while others are moving to the gates to defend them. This is bad. Even with the visiting soldiers, I don’t think this battle is going to go well because of our thinned-out numbers.

“What’s going on, Aegeus? Who is attacking us?” Felicite asks.

I could just tell the truth without telling Felicite what the church organs mean, but I don’t think that would be right. Still, I have a feeling within myself to take her and my family to safety while letting everyone else deal with the attack. Why did you have to be away at this time, Claude?

“Orcs are attacking us and the church organs playing say that all guards and soldiers off duty are called to help. I can tell you’re worried, but don’t be.”

“So, are you going to go help?”

I want to say no, but that wouldn’t be right. That’s not who I am. That’s not who God designed me to be.

“Of course. I am a guard of the city after all,” I say with as much confidence I can muster.

Felicite seems to have bought my display of confidence and nods to me and says, “You should hurry then, hero. I’ll be praying for you like always!”

I simply smile and wave as we go our separate ways. Going to the nearest guard post, I armor up, get my shields, and join the guards and army as we head outside of the city to meet the enemy. The Assault Knights and city guards stand in front of us while I and several other guards stand in front of the gates. Above me I see Conte giving his message to Commander Maxime before wishing me well and running off.

“Faithful men and women of God and His Holy Church, we have an arduous task in front of us,” Commander Maxime says. “A horde of rogue orcs descends upon us in our moment of weakness. We are outnumbered and do not know if any help will come in time. Regardless of that, we will stand and fight. We are the walls that protect the Church and Her people. A shield does not shrink from being hit nor does armor crack under the threat of pressure, therefore, we will do the same. We will defend our loved ones with our very lives and offer them as a sacrifice for our Lord, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory and honor forever!”

Together with the rest of the guards and soldiers, I say, “To Him be glory and honor forever!”

“Amen!”

“Amen!”

The horde of orcs appears after our amen as if waiting for it and charges straight for us. Our archers rain down arrows on them to thin out their numbers before our Assault Knights meet their charge with their own. Because our numbers aren’t what they should be, some orcs make it past the knights and head for the gates. I, along with the other gate guards, ready ourselves as we take the brunt of their attack and then counterattack. The fight at the gates spreads us out allowing me to swing my shields wildly around to knock off the heads of my enemies and knock them down so I can crush them with the weight of my shields. One heavily armored orc riding a black horse tries riding into the gates to try to break through them on his own, but I get in his way, taking the brunt of his charge and knocking him off his horse.

After killing his horse, I face off against him and am immediately met with a flurry of attacks from him and his two large axes that look too heavy for any normal man to wield with just a single hand. Nevertheless, I endure his attacks and push back against him to get some breathing room and some respite from the constant onslaught.

“Who do you think you are?” the orc says.

“A defender of the Church.”

“Is that all? Do you know who I am? I am Diederich! Executor of royalty, slayer of hundreds, and ruler of armies. I have orchestrated this attack with ratmen and beastmen to take over and plunder your city just like the others I’ve set my sight on. What about you?”

It takes me a second to think of who I am and my notable qualities, but I eventually say, “I am Aegeus, and like I said already, I am a defender of the Church!”

“Ha! I’ve killed dozens of mere guards like you already and you will be no different!”

Again, Diederich unleashes a flurry of attacks on me and I do my best to defend myself. Knowing that I can’t be playing defensive this time, I try to counterattack with blows of my own. This leads to us having to exchange blows one after the other and both of us being heavily injured. It isn’t until we both stop attacking do I feel the weight of my injuries start to weigh me down.

“I’ve survived worse than you, guard! You won’t be the end of me!” Diederich says.

Silently, I pray to God to give me the strength to finish this fight. By the time it’s over, I can’t believe it as I stand over the crushed body of Diederich, and yet, I can’t feel anything. Leaning up against the gates, I hold my shields at the ready for any more attempted attacks on it as I feel my life slipping away from me. In front of me, I see that few of my fellow guards and soldiers remain and there’s another incoming horde of orcs coming. Are they friendly? Regardless, as pass on from life to death in one breath, and see that I’m seeing myself and the battlefield from above. Looking around me, I see an angel who is suspending me in midair.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“St. Michael the Archangel. I have been watching and interceding for you and now I am here to place you in Heaven with other heroic guards who have died in service to God and His Church,” the angel says.

“What about them down there? Will my city be overrun?”

“No, it will not. You and the others defending the city held out long enough for the noble orcs that were hunting the rogue ones to catch up to them and reinforce the city’s guard. Look.”

Going back down, I see a mass of orcs reinforcing my allies from all sides. When the fighting is over, they come over to my body, which is still standing propped up by the gate.

“Who is this noble guard?” an orc commander asks.

“That’s Aegeus,” Commander Maxime says. “He died in combat against that orc leader, Diederich. I should’ve helped him, but I was stuck fighting in the battle and couldn’t reach him in time. He leaves behind many who loved him including a woman he was going to marry soon. I’ve failed him.”

“Be proud and save your tears for his funeral, commander. Aegeus has served his God-given purpose to the letter and should be given as much honor as possible, especially since he defeated such a notorious criminal by himself.”

Looking back to St. Michael, I ask, “What about Felicite? What will happen to her? I’ve left her without a husband to marry a week before her marriage.”

“She’ll grieve for long, but she’ll find happiness and you’ll reunite with her one day in Heaven,” he says.

“I see. Then, I’ll be watching and interceding for her, my family, friends, everyone in the city, and the Church from Heaven. I want to give them all as much help as I can.”

“And you shall, noble guard. Now, enter into your well-deserved rest by your Lord’s side.”

 

The End